MADURAI: A request was made to the Union Finance Minister Mrs.Nirmala Sitharaman to review the present taxation rate slabs under GST and bring in four categories of GST rates in the country by putting 10 per cent as maximum rate.
The Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association from Madurai shot off a request letter to her yesterday-November 11th 2026- urging her to initiate steps for following four new GST rate slabs- 0%, 3%, 5% and maximum 10%.
“For the month of October 2026, the revenue from GST has crossed 2.31 lakh crores and if this situation continues, the GST collection will reach three lakh crore rupees a month very soon. So, we are requesting for tax reforms with a specific suggestion that essential products which are consumed by the poor and downtrodden people should be fully exempted from GST,” the association’s honorary advisor S.P.Jeyapragasam has said in the representation from Madurai.
He reminded that the Union Finance Minister Mrs.Nirmala Sitharaman had already assured in Madurai that GST reforms will be announced periodically once the revenue collection from GST keeps increasing and she said this while attending the 80th year celebration of TN Foodgrains Merchants Association.
“Many of the food products if packed under 25kgs are levied at 5% GST now and are exempted if it is packed more than 25 kgs. This type of taxation has to be changed and full exemption should be given for all essential food items irrespective of their packaging quantity. You can continue with the existing 5% slab in the next level after dealing with full exemption list. At present, lot of products and services are levied at 18 per cent and our association’s request is to make it 10 per cent. The revision of GST rates can be done because revenue is increasing every year,” Mr.S.P.Jeyapragasam has said and also asked the Union FM to convene a meeting with economy experts and State Finance Ministers to discuss GST slab rates issue in the backdrop of GST 2.0 announced last year.
